Candlelight
by GreenBinderGirl
Summary: [Tamaki x Nekozawa] You don't frighten me...anymore.


**Candlelight**

Tamaki had only ever been in the black magic clubroom once, at Nekozawa's request. It was, needless to say, very dark. It took place in a small classroom, not far from the host club. At the far end of the room there was a circle of plush pillows; Tamaki guessed this was where Nekozawa hosted meetings and conversed with his members. Dimly-lit candles sat in stone holders, flickering orange shadows against the black walls. From what little Tamaki could see, he gathered that there were intricately-drawn symbols adorning the pink marble floor. _Dark, evil symbols that call upon the forces of black magic…?_

He shivered. The room was cold despite the candles.

Nekozawa sat on a single bed. A book was in his hands. The book was Russian, but Tamaki thought that the weird-looking writing were curses of the highest black-magic quality. He stepped hesitantly towards Nekozawa, and wondered why there was a bed here.

"Nekozawa-senpai," Tamaki said, speaking in a light whisper for reasons unknown, "why do you have a bed in your club?"

Nekozawa took a few moments before answering. His eyes darted back and forth across the pages of his book, unseen by Tamaki.

"I spend a lot of time here," he rasped. "I…eat lunch, and I study."

Now Tamaki knew why he never saw Nekozawa around school.

* * *

Tamaki remembered his first year at Ouran High School, a few years ago. He remembered, halfway through the year, the arrival of a transfer student. Normally he would have cheerfully greeted the newcomer and offer to show him or her around the school. But as he ran outside with his classmates and Kyouya, he stopped dead in his tracks. 

The person that stepped out of the limousine was wearing a heavy black cloak. He was hunched over slightly and moved slowly. A hood was pulled over his face and Tamaki could not make out his eyes.

He started hearing whispers from the others.

_Nekozawa Umehito…_

_Photophobia, fear of light, you know? _

_I heard that it wasn't just fear, it really hurts him…_

_He's so weird!_

_Look at the cloak…! _

_What's with the cat puppet?_

For a reason that Tamaki could not figure out, he felt fearful of this person, "Nekozawa". Maybe it was the cloak that symbolized a dark and evil wizard, from the fairytales that used to scare Tamaki so much when he was a child…

As Nekozawa walked towards the entrance of the school, a pale hand reached out to adjust his hood. As soon as the sunlight struck his fingers he recoiled instantly, giving a sharp intake of breath. Reaching the secure shadows of the school gate, he then adjusted his hood.

Tamaki felt pity.

* * *

"Nekozawa-senpai, who are your club members?" 

Tamaki asked this with interest one day as they sat outside on Ouran's lawn. Well, _he_ was spread-eagled out on the lawn; Nekozawa was cowering in the shadows of a tree, his whole body shrunk back into the cloak.

"Kanatsuki-chan," Nekozawa said, his voice muffled. "Noroyama-kun. Ahnri-kun. Otsuka-chan."

"Is…Is that it?" Tamaki had expected more; a lot more.

"Yes."

In answer to Tamaki's unasked question, he then replied:

"Not many students dare to dabble in the secrets of black magic, Tamaki-kun."

Then Nekozawa gave a little sigh, and looked up.

"…And not many students are willing to partake with the likes of me."

"What do you mean by 'the likes of you'?"

"…I…I frighten a lot of people, Tamaki-kun…"

Then Tamaki smiled. "You don't frighten me." _Anymore_.

He scooted over to where Nekozawa sat, hunched in the shadow of the tree. He wrapped his arms around Nekozawa's shoulders, lightly, carefully. He held him as if Nekozawa was a delicate doll who might break, and for some reason Tamaki thought of this as an accurate description. He brushed Nekozawa's hood back—not al the way, out of respect for Nekozawa—and pressed a small kiss to his forehead.

"You don't frighten me," Tamaki repeated softly. "…Anymore."

**Author's Notes:**

OOC at the end. :/ Hell, the whole the story.

Inspired by this sentence that popped into my head while staring at my lamp like the idiot I am: "He was okay with candlelight."

And thus, that is why the fic is named "Candlelight" even though it has nothing to do with the story.

Oh yeah, irrelevent note: "Otsuka-chan". I ran out of Japanese surnames and just used the last name of one of my favourite J-Pop artists, Ai Otsuka. XDD


End file.
